ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. band — a music group
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. court — for sport
  6. swing — to play on
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. pop — music
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. scale — in music
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. band — a ring
  15. court — of a king
  16. scale — size or range
  17. court — of law
  18. swing — in golf
  19. chip — for betting
  20. pop — to visit
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. swing — music
  23. pop — soda
  24. chip — to eat

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com